Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS)

The Center for Aging and Policy Studies (CAPS) is an Upstate New York consortium focusing on the demography and economics of aging, with Syracuse University as its hub and the Cornell Population Center and the School of Public Health of the University at Albany as its spokes. The overarching objective of the CAPS is to improve the health, well-being, and independence of older adults through research, training, and dissemination. CAPS is funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) P30 Demography and Economics of Aging Centers program.

CAPS research is characterized by two signature themes and three cross-cutting themes that directly address the goals and priority areas of NIA. The two signature themes are health and well-being and family and intergenerational supports. The three cross-cutting themes are: the role of policy, the importance of place, and the distinctive circumstances of specific populations, including populations defined by historical experiences (e.g., military veterans), geography (e.g., rural residents), health conditions (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease), or shared vulnerabilities (e.g., low socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority adults).